FIVE BENEFITS OF HIIT TRAINING

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, it’s likely that you’ve heard of High intensity interval training (HIIT). This speedy way of making impressive fitness gains has been getting a lot of press recently, thanks to its promise of helping the time poor to see quick results (and let’s face it, most of us don’t have hours a day to spend in the gym). So, what exactly can HIIT do for you? Here’s five benefits of giving HIIT a go next time you’re in the gym:

1) It’s time efficient
HIIT workouts involve short, intense periods of exercise, followed by a rest. As little as 10 minutes of hard work will see results, which is great if you only have a short amount of time to squeeze in a workout. One caveat though, you MUST work to capacity during each exercise if you want to see the best results!

2) Burn more calories in less time
A short HIIT workout can burn as many calories as a longer, steady state cardio session. Studies have shown that HIIT burns up to 30% more calories than other forms of exercise during a 30-minute period. That’s probably at least one chocolate hobnob.

3) Increased metabolic rate after exercise
HIIT has been shown to elevate your metabolic rate for up to 24 hours after exercise, meaning your body is burning more calories even during your post workout Netflix binge. Winner!

4) Increased fat loss
If you are struggling to shift that post-holiday wobble after one too many Pina Coladas, HIIT could be the answer. One study found that people performing HIIT three times per week for 20 minutes per session lost 4.4 pounds, or 2 kgs, of body fat in 12 weeks, without any dietary changes. Pretty impressive!

5) Health benefits
The health benefits of any exercise are proven, and researchers have found that HIIT can help to reduce blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels after only 8 – 12 weeks. If you do have any medical conditions we always recommend that you check with a health professional before starting any exercise plan, but HIIT could be the answer to a healthier, fitter you in only a few short weeks!

If you would like more information about HIIT training you can ask any of our friendly, approachable Personal Trainers on the gym floor in your nearest branch of JD Gyms, or pop in to one of our FREE PT drop in sessions!

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